Every City With A Public Transit Network Should Copy Seattle's New Map

King County, Washington, home to Seattle, recently released new versions of its public transport network maps. While they may seem standard, they actually represent a significant move forward in how cities communicate crucial information to residents and visitors.

On his Human Transit blog, public transit planning consultant Jarrett Walker argues that most transit maps are misleading. Unlike road maps, which use thicker lines for larger roads, they represent all bus or subway lines in the same way, regardless of how often and when they run.

The better approach, Walker argues, is a "frequent map" — distinguishing different lines based on when they are in service, how quickly they move, and how far they go.

In a 2010 post arguing the merits of frequency mapping, Walker used King County's bus map as an example of what was wrong with the non-frequent approach. "A transit map that makes all lines look equally important is like a road map that doesn't show the difference between a freeway and a gravel road," he wrote.

Now, King County's Department of Transportation has mended its ways, using different colors to distinguish light rail, Rapid Bus, all-day bus lines, and peak-only lines:

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I assume the author is brand new to New York or lives somewhere outside of the city. You can't really compare Seattles map to the largest public transporation system in the country Its quite fair to say that New York buses run frequently so the New York map is correct.

Actually, I grew up outside the city and have lived in Brooklyn for a year.

The size of New York's transit network does not change the fact that MTA maps would be improved if they indicated which bus lines operate more frequently than others (not all are created equal). Schedules change from weekend to weekday, this could be reflected as well.

Not noted in my article is that a frequent map for the subway system would be especially helpful, as frequency of operation varies widely (compare the G to the 6, for example).

All a frequency map would do is tell me how long I MIGHT have to wait IF I just miss a bus or train? If I'm going somewhere along the line I have to take that route anyway and usually you know how often trains come trough. What really helps straphangers are the countdown clocks in some subways stations which tell you how long until the next train BUT you usually have to swipe your Metrocard first and walk down to the platform to see them. What would really help is if the trains were on a schedule like LIRR or NJ Transit.